SMB: Cloning Blues
by Captain Cook
Summary: Our heroes run into Belome again, and Peach gets cloned in the skirmish. Bowser manages to kidnap the clone by accident. But why are Belome clones so violent? Why can't we all just get along? Read and find out!
1. Fire Hose for a Tongue

**CLONING BLUES**

**-Author's Notes-**

**ORIGINAL CHARACTERS DO NOT STEAL (TM)**

Joking aside, please view my profile and PM me if you wish to use any original characters within this fanfic. Thank you.

**Chapter 1: Fire Hose for a Tongue**

It was a peaceful day in the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario and Peach were walking together in the forest just outside of Toad Town. Normally, she'd be accompanied by guards, but Mario alone was enough, and besides, he didn't have much else to do on a Saturday. The trees in this particular part weren't too dense; one flying in an airplane could see someone moving about within.

The two happened to pass a warp pipe, of which the other end's location was unknown. It was clearly visible from the sky.

"Isn't this such a lovely day, Mario?" Peach asked.

"It is. So, how goes things in the kingdom?" Mario responded.

"A mix of boring, nothing special, and Toadsworth nagging."

"Ah... Toadsworth nagging. He tends to do that a lot, doesn't he?"

"Hey, wait, what's that up in the sky?"

Peach pointed up at a vaguely boat-shaped object heading straight for the Mushroom Kingdom. There appeared to be more following it.

"... Airships? Oh, not again!" Mario said.

"Bowser attempted a kidnapping last week! Why is he doing it again so soon?" Peach said.

"I don't know. But we need to hide. Who knows if someone up there can spot us?"

* * *

But in one of those airships (specifically, Bowser's), Lemmy Koopa was playing with the binoculars instead of trying to spot Peach.

"Whoa... everything looks so biiiiiig..."

"LEMMY! Stop playing with those binoculars! You know what they're supposed to be used for!"

"(Geez, Bowser, we're not even near the castle yet. _Loosen up already._)"

I guess we now know how one plumber can defeat an entire army of anthropomorphic turtles.

* * *

Back in the forest...

"Hey, Mario, where does that pipe lead to?" Peach asked.

"I... don't know," Mario said. "In fact, I don't even remember seeing it before."

"Well, there's only one way to find out!" Peach said, jumping into the warp pipe.

"Oh well. What can possibly go wrong?" Mario said, following her.

Mario and Peach came out the other end of the pipe. The location appeared to be reminiscent of Kero Sewers.

"A... sewer? Well. They won't look for us in here, will they?"

"I wouldn't say that. Maybe we can escape through Midas Falls if we manage to avoid-"

"AAAAIIEE!" Peach screamed as she was suddenly pulled back into the maw of a certain yellow and red, four-eyed, dog-faced monster.

"Belome! Let her go!" Mario said, jumping and applying his hammer directly to Belome's forehead. The beast spat her out in recoil.

"Ack! And I thought I could sneak a snack!" Belome said. "We've met before, haven't we? I recall tasting you before. Maybe you recall this trick?"

Belome concentrated for a brief second, ejecting a clone of Peach out of his... well, some things are best left not thought about too much.

"More clones? You need new tricks, Belome."

"Oh, but why learn new ones when old ones can be polished? Surely you've noticed they're getting better! Ah... all this talking is making me hungry. Bon appetit!"

The Peach clone immediately singled out her source material, kicking at her face. Meanwhile, Mario and Belome went solo against each other.

**Peach vs. Peach Clone**

Peach quickly dodged her clone. The doppelganger refused to let up, going for a barrage of kicks.

"(Better? This thing's a nut!)" Peach thought to herself. "(But... if Mallow could cast Psychopath on one and reveal its thoughts... maybe they can make conscious decisions. And if this one is better than the ones in the Belome Temple... perhaps it could be reasoned with?)"

Peach grappled the clone's leg and wrapped around into a bear hug. She wasn't very physically strong, but by extension her clone wasn't either.

"Stop!" Peach shouted. "Why are you doing this?"

"There can only be one Peach Toadstool," she said. "Your turn's over."

"What?" Peach asked, dodging another kick. "So... you seriously think that killing me will make you the _pure-hearted _princess of the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Yes!"

"Wow, you're dense. Since when is murder a hallmark of being pure of heart?"

"Dense? Why... "

The clone mused about that for a few seconds.

"You're right, that doesn't make sense. I'll just let father eat you then."

"But eating live people... that's wrong!"

"Well, at least I won't be doing it."

"(She seems smart enough, but she's mindlessly loyal to him. Looks like I have no choice...) Well, it was nice talking to you, but I don't really want to be eaten."

"Too bad!" the clone said, attacking her again. But Peach didn't hold back this time, countering the blow. The two went into a stalemate, failing to do much damage to the other until Mario got involved.

**Mario vs. Belome**

Belome found Mario to be a formidable foe. The plumber could counter his tongue by jumping, and lob fireballs at him from a distance. So Belome stopped trying to eat him and instead tried tackling him. But Mario jumped over that too, throwing fireballs at the beast's behind. Belome's tail even started to catch fire.

"TOO MUCH HOT SAUCE!" Belome cried, running into nearby water that wasn't particularly clean. The current was too strong for him to fight off, so he could only watch as he drifted away from the prey he failed to catch.

"Curse you, Mario! _I'll be back for secoooooonnnnddsss!_" Belome yelled as he drifted from plain view.

"Huh...?" the clone said, turning towards Belome as he disappeared. "No! Belome! Come back! I can't help you eat them if you aren't here!"

She ran towards the water flow, only to be caught by Peach.

"Hhh! Let me go!" The clone said, trying to break free.

"Peach, what have we here?"

"Never mind, shouldn't we be—hey!"

The clone broke free of Peach's grasp and fled through the pipe the two had came through.

"What an idiot," Mario said. "She fled through the pipe we entered to hide from the airships!"

"Let's go after her!"

"... Well, we can't let her cause a ruckus. Let's go inside quietly, and wait just inside the lip of the pipe to make sure no one's around."

So Mario and Peach entered the pipe and, forcing each other against the pipe wall, listened carefully.

"We got her, your wretchedness! She was a feisty one, so we tied her up and taped her mouth shut."

"Muahahahaha! Excellent! Now let's go back and raise our defenses so Mario doesn't win her back this time."

"So they actually got her..." Peach whispered. "And they think she's me."

"Well, this is an interesting turn of events."

"What if he finds out who she actually is?"

"Hmm... point taken. But let's discuss this with Toadsworth first..."


	2. Expendability

**Chapter 2: Expendability**

Mario and Peach had returned to the castle. It was surprisingly intact after a kidnapping attempt. Inside, the two met Toadsworth in the throne room.

"Your highness!" Toadsworth exclaimed. "By Jove, I thought you had been kidnapped!"

"I was... sort of," Peach responded.

"... Sort... of?"

"We hid using a warp-pipe to the sewers and ran into Belome. During that fight, he managed to catch Peach in his mouth and clone her. Both Belome and the clone were defeated, and by being in the wrong place in the wrong time, the clone was captured."

"Caught in his... I say, how utterly disgusting! You need to take a sho-"

"I know."

"Well... at least Bowser didn't get you. How long will it take for him to find out?"

"There's no telling. She could be there for... ever. Or, he could... dispatch her... and come back for me. I know she tried to kill me, but..."

"Should we go save her?" Mario asked.

"**Save a murderous clone? Are you _mad_? Of course not!**" Toadsworth snapped. "... My apologies for that outburst, but why? I believe it's quite a fitting punishment, is it not?"

"It's a bit ironic, actually. She seemed to believe that there could be only one Peach Toadstool," Mario said.

"I tried reasoning with her. I had the feeling she was brainwashed into being mindlessly loyal to Belome. I don't think she's completely evil or mindless..." Peach said.

"They can't be completely mindless. Remember what Mallow found out using Psychopath? They are capable of thinking, and apparently it's tough to be pretty," Mario said.

"Hmm... Maybe I'm just biased because I wasn't there to witness, but are you sure about this?" Toadsworth inquired.

"*sigh* Yes," Peach said.

"... Alright. Mario, head for Bowser's castle, and you, princess, should take a-"

"I'm going, too."

"Wait... you can't just-"

"Toadsworth... please, just..."

"... One of these days, I'm going to wind up at your funeral. You're too headstrong for your own good! Did you learn nothing from your kidnapping at Rogueport?"

"*sigh* Yes, it was foolish. No, it does not apply in this case. Besides, Mario will take care of me," Peach said, somewhat annoyed. "Please... just stop it already. I'll take the shower, but I'm not staying here."

"... fine! Go on! Cheerio! Ta ta! See if this old man cares."

So the princess cleaned herself up and put on a new dress. Apparently it was tough to be pretty indeed, as Mario had to wait for a good while before she was ready.

"Are we good to go?" Mario asked as she came out of the bathroom.

"Yes," Peach answered.

"Alright! Let's-a go!"

* * *

But while they were yet talking, an unknown enemy was hiding in the midst. A Boo had apparently stayed behind to spy on Mario should he have come to Peach's castle.

"So... Bowser managed to get a clone instead of the real one. I knew staying behind to watch would pay off!"

The Boo took out a Mailbox DS, opened the chat program, and started communicating to Bowser.

"What is it now?"

"Sir, I have some bad news..."

"What is it?"

"Um... you happen to have the wrong Peach."

"WHAT?"

"Going by what I just overheard between Mario, Peach, and Toadsworth, the one you have is actually a clone created during an encounter with Belome."

"AAAAARRRGGHH! They did this on purpose, didn't they?"

"Actually, they did not seem to have such an intent..."

"Agh. Just get back to my castle!"

"But Bowser, Mario is co-"

"[Bowser is currently offline.]"

"And he went offline. Great."

* * *

Bowser, now back at his castle, was pacing the floor of his throne room, pondering what he should do in this situation.

"Argh. I hunt for the princess and all I get is this doppelganger!" Bowser said during a face palm.

"What are we going to do with her, your majesty?" Kamek said.

"I'm trying to figure that out at the moment."

"So... what is this 'Belome' creature?"

"A yellow and red dog-faced monster with a long tongue and a hunger for everything. When Mario was part of the Koopa Troop, we encountered that disgusting freak of nature. He can also make clones of people by tasting them. I know from experience... because he cloned me, only to have its stuffing torn out by yours truly. What a fool, thinking he could match the one and true Bowser!"

"Ah. I would have liked to see that."

"And now, I have this copy of Princess Peach. Heck, if she really tried to beat the crap out of them (as I assume she did), they probably won't come to save her.

_Wait a minute..._"

Bowser stopped to think for a second.

"This is a golden opportunity! I can have the princess and Mario won't come to save her! This is awesome!"

"But your wretchedness, what about the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Hmm... good point... if I take the clone instead, then the Mushroom Kingdom won't be mine... But, on the other hand..." Bowser turned towards the bound clone. "Mario's not coming to save you."

Whatever caused her to be a merry slave of Belome until that moment was immediately deprogrammed. That single statement seemed to have more weight than a mountain of exit counseling. The memories of Peach's past kidnappings all hit her in an instant. She was fully aware of who she was now.

She was terrified.

"What should I do... Well, I'll settle for her for now."

"Then what should we do with her if we get the real Peach?"

"Get Mario out of the picture first... then dispose of the fake one. Unless she turns out to be absolutely wonderful, of course." Bowser said, turning his head towards the captured clone. "That won't be a problem, will it?"

She was too terrified to respond.

"Will it?" Bowser said in an slow, eerily calm voice.

She hesitatingly shook her head.

"Good. You learn quickly. Guards!"

Two Koopatrols came out of the woodwork, approaching the Koopa King.

"Yes, dude? I mean, sir? I mean, King Bowser, dude? I mean, Ki-" Said the first one.

"Shut up and take her to her room," Bowser commanded.

"Groovy, dude! I mean, si—OW!" The first guard said before being stabbed by the other.

"Can't you act like a _normal_ person?" Asked the other guard, picking her up. "Give me a hand, would you?"

The two guards picked her up and carried her down a corridor to a door on the right.

"So Bowser, how do you think this is going to work out?" Kamek asked.

"I'm going to wait for a while before attacking again. At the moment, everyone's probably expecting me to return, making another advance more difficult. The troops need to be fortified in advance, because the next one is going to be completely thorough. No stone will be left unturned. The Mushroom Kingdom and Peach will be mine!"

"So... if the clone behaves?"

"Well... I'm not against having my own harem..."


	3. Despair and Kindness?

**Chapter 3: Despair and... Kindness?**

"This is where you will be staying," the first guard said. "Oh, and don't try any silly escape attempts. We'll find you."

The guards left the room, locking the door. The clone took the time to observe her surroundings: a square room, at least 25 feet by 25 feet, enclosed by stone walls (one of which had a door to a small shower room). The room itself had its own bed, a wardrobe, and a small bookcase (mostly empty). A chandelier gave the room light.

Well, at least Bowser was nice enough to provide a full-size bed and clothes presumably made by tailors within the castle.

But she didn't care about that. She was drowning in memories that weren't hers—birthdays, vacations, go-kart races, and the absurd number of times Peach was kidnapped, with Mario coming to save her... except it wasn't _her_ he was saving, as she was only a copy who tried to kill her original self in some warped sense of replacing her. And it wasn't even entirely her fault; Belome made her do part of his dirty work! And now she was Bowser's slave with no real hope of rescue.

She wept.

Of course, with her having all the memories of the original, she remembered back when Mario, Mallow, Geno, Bowser, and Peach fought Belome, and the first time Belome ever used his cloning powers. Could those clones have free will, which Belome denied? Did they have souls? Did she have one? Would she... cease to exist should she die?

Bowser opened the door.

"Muahahahaha! You might as well give up, 'princess'!" Bowser gloated.

"... You're right," she responded. "It's hopeless."

"... I... am? Wait—Of course I am!" Bowser said. "Now... for the reason I came in here... would you like a tour of my splendid castle?"

"What? Why would you be giving me a tour? You just implied I was expendable fifteen minutes ago!"

"I had thought you weren't much more than a walking piece of stuffing. But... you DNA seems to be a perfect match, so maybe that was uncalled for."

"Since when could you test DNA?"

"A Magikoopa did it."

"I see."

"Well, how about that tour, then? I think you'll be impressed at how cool my newest castle is."

"I guess. I have nothing better to do."

"Good! Now, if you would come with me..."

The Koopa King took her on a tour of his castle. The castle had three floors above ground, not including the four towers on top of the castle.. On the first floor was the castle lobby and entrance to the south, with the kitchen and mess hall to the far north. The rest of the floor was filled out with mostly barracks for some of the soldiers and a few rooms for recreation. Within the basement was what appeared to be a geothermal power plant and water pump, as well as machinery that maintained the lava moat surrounding the castle. The second floor had more barracks, a private meeting room, and an academy geared around training soldiers. It was also from this floor that the drawbridge was controlled. This floor also contained the room of the captured clone. The highest floor was mostly devoted to Bowser himself, with a large throne room in the dead center of the floor. The towers were at least a floor high and were mostly used for spotting unwelcome visitors in advance.

The tour showing the castle highlights concluded in Bowser's own throne room.

"So, what do you think? Is it not totally awesome?" Bowser asked.

"I'm surprised you haven't flooded parts of the first floor with lava that has to be jumped across," she responded.

"Yeah, it looked pretty cool. But there were too many accidents happening, so it had to go."

"Wait... why are you showing me all of this, anyway? Don't you usually lock up the princess until Mario... Oh, Mario... why?"

"I thought we established that Mario wasn't coming. You don't really _need_ him, anyway. Besides, what does the Mushroom Kingdom have to offer you?"

"I... don't know."

"Exactly. How about you stick around with me?"

"I..."

"Gwahaha! I won't force an answer out of you. Now, I need to have a meeting," Bowser said, then turned to a Hammer Bro nearby. "You there!"

"Yes, sir?" the Hammer Bro asked.

"You're on guard duty. Please gently escort this lady back to her room, but don't let her do anything suspicious."

"Yes, Lord Bowser, sir!" The Hammer Bro said, taking the clone with her. Kamek came out afterward.

"Oh, Bowser. What was she doing up here?" Kamek asked.

"Oh, nothing. She seems to have mostly gotten over her actual kidnapping," Bowser answered.

"She's already starting to succumb to Stockholm Syndrome?"

"Stockholm Syndrome? What's that?"

"Basically, she's falling in love with you because she interprets your actions as acts of kindness."

"Oh. You mean what I've been hoping to happen actually has a... you know what, Kamek? I just got an idea!"

"Yes, your wretchedness?"

"You know I'm eventually going to attack the Mushroom Kingdom again, right?"

"Yes."

"If she really is falling for me, then in due time she will completely alienate herself from the Mushroom Kingdom and swear loyalty to yours truly. So... I think I'm going to make her my general."

"So she'll be attacking the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Isn't it so diabolically ironic?"

"Excellent, my lord! Truly splendid! We'll manipulate her into doing our dirty work, and when Mario is finally killed off and Peach is yours, we can get rid of her."

"Now now, Kamek, let's just wait and see. I think she might turn out useful now. Throwing away a perfectly good girlfriend is wasteful..."

"Hmm... well, if you insist."

"Oh, Bowser..." The clone said, returning to the throne room with a guard escort.

"Yes, my—oh..."

The clone had found one of the skimpy sets of clothing left by Bowser and was now wearing it. The set included long green gloves to replace her white ones, long green boots with spikes around the top, and what looked something like a green two-piece swimsuit, with a thick vine around the waist with thorns pointing away.

"Kamek, did you cast a spell on her or something?" Bowser asked.

"No, your despicableness, I didn't do anything to her. She's wearing it by choice," Kamek said.

"I can't identify with my other self anymore. I don't see why I should wear her clothes. But... why did you have to make the this so skimpy?" she asked.

"You don't like it?" Bowser inquired.

"No, it's... not that... it just doesn't feel right."

"Oh, don't be so silly. You look great!"

"*blushing* Really?"

"Well... if you really don't want to wear that, then I can get you something else instead."

"No, it's alright."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm just a little embarrassed, that's all."

"She looks kind of cute," the Hammer Bro said.

"I... do?" she said, blushing. She was enjoying all of these compliments. "Hmm... isn't it kind of late?"

"Oh dear, it is," Kamek said, looking at his watch. "Say, hasn't dinner been served yet?"

"Shall I escort her back to her room, sir?" Asked the Hammer Bro.

"No, that isn't necessary," Bowser said. "She knows where her room is. All she needs is someone to bring her food. We can continue talking tomorrow, my lady."

"If you insist. Now I'll be on my way..." she said.

The clone returned to her room.

"Well, this isn't so bad after all! Everyone's so kind... I was afraid at first, but I see it clearly now. There's no reason to leave. Although... I feel kind of embarrassed wearing this. Maybe I'll get used to it... It does feel kind of comfortable... I never thought I would like green so much."

She looked at herself in the mirror.

"I _do_ look cute! But of course, I did inherit Peach's looks. And voice. And... everything."

She thought back to Peach trying to talk her out of killing her.

"Peach, I'm sorry... but I wish you hadn't given up on me. Then again, this is hardly as terrible as I thought it would be..."

* * *

Still in the throne room, Bowser was gloating about how awesome he was.

"Holy smokes! This is actually working! _Something is actually working!_"

"She's falling for you, your terribleness! And very quickly, in fact! This is remarkable!"

"I can't believe I convinced her to keep wearing that!"

"But... now that I think about it, don't you think that was a bit... much?

"Now, now, Kamek, even I have standards."

"So... where did you get that design, anyway?"

"Fan art."

"Oh. Be careful searching for that stuff, you know..."

"I already know," Bowser said disdainfully. "Kids, don't try this at home. Google SafeSearch isn't safe."


	4. Deliverance

**Chapter 4: Deliverance**

The night had passed, and a new day had begun. However, in Dark Land, the 'day' doesn't normally get much brighter than what you would see at dusk.

Mario and Peach, after resting a bit that night, had reached Bowser's castle. Strangely, the drawbridge was down. Poor Bowser never was an expert at security. The two crossed without problem. But when they got in...

"Hello, and you—wait a minute, Mario's here! Attack!" shouted a Koopatrol.

"Attack? Sure!" Peach said, shoving her parasol in his face. After being knocked back, the Koopatrol charged with his spear... only for Mario to counter with a strong blow from his hammer, knocking him out.

"Let's get going before we get swamped!" Mario said. The two fled from the castle lobby down the hallway, going up a flight of stairs. Now on the second floor, Mario and Peach encountered a few Hammer Bros, who weren't very happy to see them. Tossed their hammers they did, but Mario dodged them and retaliated using fireballs.

"My, you all look exhausted," Mario said. "It's almost as if you burned out!"

"Haha. Very funny," Said Morton, who had followed them upstairs. "Koopalings! Attack!"

Wendy, Ludwig, Lemmy, and Iggy were further down the hallway, while Larry and Roy were with Morton. Both groups tried to dogpile Mario and Peach, but both of them jumped at the last second, causing everyone else to dogpile each other. Ludwig and Roy tackled each other head-on, knocking both of them out.

"I told you all this was a stupid idea!" Wendy yelled. "But noooo, no one listens to me! No one listens to the smart girl!"

The other conscious Koopalings responded by tackling her and fighting over who was to blame for the failure. By the time the fighting actually started, though, Mario and Peach were well on their way to the highest floor.

* * *

"So, my lady, are you enjoying yourself?" Bowser asked.

"I do believe I am," the clone said with a faint smile. "Except... hmm."

"What?"

"Nothing, just a thought."

"No really, what?"

"Just... memories of Peach, that's all. And me not being the real princess."

"Now, now. Why be a princess when you can be an empress?"

"Empress...?"

"You know that I want world domination, don't you? Think about it! You won't just have a single nation—you'll have the planet! And then we can go into the great beyond!"

"Hmm... perhaps that would be nice... but doesn't that imply that I'm..."

"Yes."

"You're proposing?"

"Sure, why not?"

"But Bowser... I'm a human and you're a walking turtle with horns. That's just creepy. And what about Peach?"

"Oh, don't worry about her... besides, I think you're even better than she is!"

"Now, that's just silly. You know I'm an exact copy of her."

"How about I _make_ you better, then?"

"... You would?"

"Come sit with me for a bit," Bowser said, guiding her to the right shoulder of his pretty comfortable throne. Her Hammer Bro guide, also present in the room at the time, was to the left.

"I'll give you the best training the academy can offer, in whatever fields you choose. Weaponry? Magic? Hmm... maybe you could go with a plant summoning motif to fit your attire." Bowser said.

"I can really do that?" She asked.

"Well, specializing in it might require a bit of independent study, but I don't see why not."

"Teehee! You're too kind, Lord Bowser."

My darling, I'll give you whatever you want. Money? Power? Authority? A key position in a Koopa Empire? Anything. Now, as I was saying... will you marry me?"

Mario kicked open the door to the throne room.

"**No, she won't.**" Mario responded.

"_Mario?_ What the heck are you doing here?" Bowser said, shocked.

The two took time to observe the situation—The clone was sitting on the shoulder of the throne itself, talking with the evil Koopa King.

"What the... what have you done to her?"

"Oh, nothing. If Peach wasn't so stubborn, she could have enjoyed herself in my castle, too."

"Like I would want to wear that. Seriously?"

"A woman can be a little proud of her body! Besides, she chose it herself!"

"You mean she chose it because it was the only other thing in her wardrobe, right?"

"Peach, Peach, Peach. I haven't made her do anything she didn't want to do. Except for the obligatory kidnapping, of course. She likes me! She chose the opportunity you should have chosen time and time again. And guess what? She's _happy_."

"Sir, should I get her out of here?" the hammer Bro asked.

"Not if she doesn't want to leave. She should have the choice of watching me defend her."

"Defend!" Mario exclaimed.

"Exactly. Say your prayers, Mario, because Big Bad Bowser is not holding back! Gwahahahaha!"

**Mario and Peach vs. Bowser**

Bowser lunged at Mario with his claws, grabbing him. Mario quickly countered with a fireball right in Bowser's face, causing him to release the plumber. While recovering, Mario smacked him in the face with his hammer, knocking him back. Before another blow could be made, Bowser retreated into his shell and crashed into the plumber, sending him flying. When he tried to come out of his shell, Peach thrust her parasol into his face.

Bowser wasn't particularly motivated to seriously harm Peach—after all, the more girls for him the merrier—but didn't really enjoy having a Parasol jammed into his face. In anger, he spewed flame at the princess. She avoided getting burned herself, but the end of her dress was ignited. Mario, now recovered, took over while Peach stopped, dropped, and rolled.

"(So they did come to save me... perhaps I was wrong about them. Maybe they do care. But... Bowser's not all that terrible,)" The clone pondered, being conflicted. "(What do I tell them? I can't just drive them off, but I like it here...")

Both party members were back in the fray now giving Bowser a beating. The Koopa King was clearly showing signs of fatigue, now moving slow enough for Mario to get behind him and start swinging him around. Bowser was thrown towards the west wall, creating large cracks upon impact. Dazed, the Koopa King wandered a bit towards the center of the room before falling on his back. Mario took this opportunity to ground pound his chest. Bowser tried to get up, but was too disoriented to properly stand.

"Fine... you win... but can you really take her away when she wants to be here?" Bowser asked.

"I'm not surprised. I'm not a psychologist, but I do know a few things about the human mind from my experiences, your _majesty_. Stockholm Syndrome is one of them, where hostages can develop loyalty or affection for their captors. It can happen during an extended period of captivity. If she really likes you so much after only one day, I can only assume you tried to intentionally manipulate her," Mario said.

"I sure did! Ain't I a piece of work?" Bowser gloated, not realizing his error until it was too late. "Uh... oh..."

"What...?" the clone asked. "You mean you were only being nice to... manipulate me?"

"But... I was going to make you my second in command! I was going to put you in the academy! I was going to make you empress of my soon-to-be vast empire! And I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for these meddling kids!"

"You still think of me as expendable, don't you? _Don't you?_" Her tone was getting more sorrowful with each sentence.

"No! Trust me, I'd be perfectly fine with both of you! And besides, you two wouldn't agree to be my queens if I tried being a goody-goody two shoes!"

"Of course I wouldn't. Do you know _why_?" Peach asked.

"Because I'm a dumb, ugly reptile. _Surely_, that's it."

Peach tried not to laugh. "Well... yes, but more so because you are completely inconsiderate of what other people want, including myself. You try to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom by force, imprison people who resist your force... really, is it that hard to understand? I don't see how you can call that 'love'. You're not really loving, you're just being nothing but a lousy jerk. Every. Single. Time. You train countless _incompetent_ Koopa soldiers to invade my kingdom several times a year, causing mass havoc just to either get me to marry you, take over the kingdom, or spite Mario. I don't even know why we invite you to go kart races! I feel sorry for your failing men. Some of them could be quite useful in battle if a certain idiot writing the curriculum actually knew how to take care of a plumber that can jump really high. You're that certain idiot, aren't you? Aren't you? Well... I don't need that answer... you're either that idiot or you're stupid enough to keep that idiot around. Now, if you'll excuse me, we came here for a reason."

Peach walked towards her clone.

"We knew you were brainwashed by Belome as you came into this world. That's why we came here to save you. Although I can't offer you equal authority, I can offer you a place to stay in my castle. You're technically part of the royal line..."

"Peach... I'm sorry," the clone cried, hugging her original self.

"It's alright... you didn't do anything wrong of your own volition..."

"Perhaps you have a point with what you said..." said the Hammer Bro. "Well, what are you waiting for? Take her."

"Will you come with us?" Peach asked.

"I don't have much choice in the matter, do I?" the clone asked.

"Well, you could stay here. But why would you want to do that? Surely you don't want to keep being his puppet. And you don't even have to be a princess in my castle if you don't want to, sister."

"Sister?"

"Well, you are like a twin sister."

"Alright," she said, standing up, "take me back with you."

The three started to leave the room, with Hammer Bro and a weakened Bowser behind. The Hammer Bro, after a moment of thinking, started to follow as well.

"Wait... where are you...?" Bowser asked.

"Bowser, I quit the Koopa Troop," he responded.

"You traitor."

"_Bite me._"

The three worked their way to the castle entrance, passing the seven Koopalings that had exhausted themselves from fighting each other. As they went out the exit, the Hammer Bro caught up with them.

"Wait!" he shouted.

"Huh? Wait, you're the-" Mario said before being interrupted.

"You're right, Princess Peach. Bowser is a jerk, and frankly, _we all suck_. My loyalty belongs to you now," he said, breathing heavily.

"Wait... you're the one who guarded my room, aren't you?" the clone asked.

"Yes, I am."

"You weren't part of this, were you?"

"I had no idea he was doing this. Honest. Why do you think I left?"

"Then you were... telling the truth about me wearing this?"

"Yes."

"Well... at least I don't feel like a _complete_ tool now..." she muttered. "... how did I even think wearing this was a good idea?"

"Bowser convinced you it was a good idea." Mario said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have worn it."

"I think I'll go back to wearing a dress... but can the color still be green? I really like that color," she said.

"D'aww... well, alright. I'm gonna miss it, though..." the Hammer Bro responded.

"Hmm... What is your name?" Mario asked.

"My name? Just call me Forge." Forge said.

"And yours?" Peach asked the clone.

"I... don't have a name."

"You mean he actually hasn't given you one yet? Wow, I would expect him to be calling you Princess Piranha with that outfit on. Or maybe after some other carnivorous plant. Queen Venus, perhaps?" Mario said.

"I would have been flattered if I was named that, but not after this," she responded.

"Maybe we should pick something a little more pleasant if we're going by plant names," Peach said. "Plum—No, wait, we already know a Plum..."

"Apricot?" Mario asked. "Hmm... maybe we could shorten it... to April?"

"Perhaps a variation?" Forge asked. "Apryl? Aprielle? Aprille? Aprilette?"

"Whoa, easy there. Apryl is fine, but those others are just too exotic," Mario said. "Some of those I could only imagine being given by a fan fiction author on crack to a poorly-written original character. And maybe parents who are trying too hard to give their child an interesting name. Those _are_ real variations, right?"

"Yes. Seriously. Those are just a few."

"Wow."

"I think Apricot should still work for formal situations. Maybe Apryl should just be a shorter nickname used in informal situations," Peach said.

"Apryl... is that fine with you?" Mario asked to the clone.

"Yes," Apryl responded.

"Also, you might want to consider a haircut. People might get confused if we have the same hairstyles," Peach said.

"Well, what are we waiting for? To the Mushroom Kingdom!" Mario shouted.

* * *

Kamek entered the throne room, coming from who-knows where, oblivious of Mario's invasion. Bowser was still lying on his back.

"Bowser? What happened? Where's the clone?" Kamek shouted.

"Ugh... Mario... Peach..."

"Mario actually came here? Why?"

"They took her."

"What? Well, crud."

"Oh, and Kamek, you're in charge of the academy curriculum, right?"

"Yeah. What about it?

"*awkward pause* ... Nothing... just go get me a medic."


	5. Deja Vu

**Chapter 5: Deja Vu**

It was dark. Mario, Peach, Apricot, and Forge were now traveling back to the castle, going the same way they came. They happened to pass by the same pipe the two had entered to hide long before. Belome, in a strange occurrence of him not being underground, was nearby.

"Delivery girl, you're late!" Belome bellowed. "You should have brought the two courses earlier!"

"Belome! Not you again!" Mario said.

"Well, better late than never, I suppose. Come on, my child. Hand them over."

"Eep..." Apricot said, walking back.

"What? You forgot who made you?" Belome said, looking quite annoyed. "... No matter. Come back where you belong, my little dessert..."

"What? AGH! Get out of my head!"

"What are you doing to her?" Forge angrily asked.

"As long as I'm nearby, I can control the minds of every last clone I make. Why do you think she attacked you instead of wondering what just happened in the first few seconds of her life?"

"So all of the clones you've made were real people you made _us_ kill?" Peach said, angry.

"Oh, please. They're little more than magically created puppets. They dissolve into a cloud of smoke when they die. They might be physically identical to the original, but they're only a means to an end. They'll never be real people. I'm surprised you thought of her as a person, let alone _human,_" Belome responded.

"Why do you care? Everything's _dinner_ to you, monster!" Mario retorted.

"Some things are dinner; some things are silverware and china. But enough of this silly philosophical debate. Attack, my pretty!"

Apricot, now fully under control, stood up and took a fighting stance.

"No, Apricot! Fight it!" Peach cried.

"You actually _named_ her? How delicious... too bad she's with me again!"

"Oh, _shut up!_" Mario yelled, throwing a fireball right in Belome's face.

"HOT! HOTHOTHOTHOT!" Belome cried in pain. "I didn't ask for the hot sauce!"

Thus, Mario and Belome faced off like last time, but with Forge assisting. And, like last time as well, Peach confronted her clone. Peach was definitely not interested in fighting her clone again, especially after confirming that she was a person in her own right.

"Apricot, you can't do this! You can't just let yourself be a tool for Belome!"

Her clone was apparently not interested in talking, only responding with a punch which Peach dodged.

"Surely you heard him! He doesn't value your existence at all! You're not just a mere puppet!

Her clone still refused to speak, only attacking her. It was as if this particular brainwashing attempt made her a single-minded killing machine. Frustrated, Peach tackled her and pinned her to the ground, albeit slightly injuring herself on her clone's outfit's spikes of doom. She tried to ignore it.

"This isn't the first time this has happened to you. Princess Apricot, please... you can't let yourself be a mere tool. You can't just let him control you!"

The clone cried in pain, apparently suffering from a serious headache. Holding her down onto the floor was getting easier.

"Peach... help... me..."

* * *

Mario and Forge threw fireballs and hammers respectively at Belome, forcing him back into a tree which soon ignited. Unfortunately, they were too busy to notice him preparing Aurora Flash until the last second. Mario recognized the attack and backed off, but Forge, not having fought Belome before, succumbed to the magical spell and fell unconscious.

"**Enough habañero!**" Belome yelled, lashing at Mario with his tongue, only to be ground-pounded once more.

"Don't you ever try something else?" Mario asked. "This is getting silly."

"No, _this_ is silly!" Belome said, spraying Mario with S'crow Funk. Unable to dodge in time, Mario was quickly turned into a living scarecrow. "Forgot your Trueform Pin, did you? How shameful. Now, just sit there while I check on my little friend."

Belome turned around to see Peach embracing her clone. Had the control been broken again? Had she had gotten too accustomed to having free will to be completely under his control? Needless to say, he was not amused at all.

"What is this, some nonsensical aesop about love?" Belome yelled. "Beat her to a pulp, already!"

Apricot turned to her master and said, "N-no."

"DO IT!

"DO _**THIS**_!" Mario shouted, subjecting Belome to a 16-hit Super Jump.

"Wha...? I thought you couldn't move!"

"The scarecrow status effect allows special attacks and defensive maneuvers. Surely, you would know that." Mario said, unloading more fire on his enemy. "Peach, a little help here?"

"I'm still trying to help her! But maybe I can do this..." Peach said, casting Group Hug. Forge was far beyond range to be affected, but Mario was human again. Mario attempted another fireball barrage, but failed.

"I'm out of juice? Mama mia..."

"So what happens if I S'crow Funk you again?"

"You won't," Forge said, sliding in his shell through Belome.

"Forge? I thought you were-"

"Falling branches make some noise. Flaming falling branches, I might add. And right next to my head, even. Some friend you are."

"Well, that timing was awfully convenient."

Belome got up, now starting to show signs of fatigue. Maybe he had bitten off a little more than he could chew. His creation didn't want to be his anymore, and Mario, although lacking firepower, wasn't worse for the wear. Perhaps one rogue clone wasn't worth this much fighting.

"Fine then. Keep my silverware. Goodbye, everyone!" Belome said, hopping away.

"Come back here!" Mario shouted, starting to go after him before realizing that it was futile. "*sigh* Well, so much for that."

"Apricot, are you alright?"

"I... think so..."

"Well, now that he's out of the picture, let's get back to the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Wait... whose idea was it to come through here, anyway?" Forge asked.

"... It was my idea. I didn't think he'd be waiting above ground." Mario said.

"So... I was made just to be a puppet?" Apricot asked.

"Well... there's no getting around that. You _were_ brought into this world just to kill us."

"I..."

"Perhaps I shouldn't have said that."

"But why would he go so far as to make perfect copies which could have their own will?" Forge asked.

"Perhaps they needed a lot of intelligence... or perhaps he didn't even _care_. After all, everything's food to him," Mario said.

"He'd create clones with full ability to... Wow. Just wow," Forge said.

"Or maybe he could just have done that to mess with the original. But why would he argue that they're just puppets?" Peach asked.

"I don't know, but I don't want him making any more," Mario answered. "We need to capture him somehow. I would swarm him with an army of Toads, but knowing them..."

"... they'd all run away," Peach finished.

"Maybe we should continue this discussion when we get to the castle and settle in. Agreed?" Mario said.

And so, the four headed out the forest and continued their journey to the castle.

* * *

Our heroes entered the town (mostly empty at this time of night) and headed for the castle's front entrance.

"Mario! Peach! You're back! And... who is this?" A castle guard asked.

"Clone. Long story. Please let me through." Mario said.

"Ooookay. Sure thing." The guard responded, opening the door. The four met Toadsworth right behind it.

"Mario! Your highness! It's about time you returned!" Toadsworth said. "And I see you brought her back, along with someone else..."

"Forge the Hammer Bro," Forge said.

"So... what are you doing in that outfit, of all things?" Toadsworth asked.

"Bowser picked it out and basically manipulated her into wearing it," Mario answered.

"Oh, dear. Can we get you psychological assistance?" Toadsworth offered.

"Now, Toads... well, actually, that might be a good idea," Peach responded.

"You're actually agreeing with me? By Jove, _what's happened to you_?"

"Nothing... but she's been brainwashed from 'birth' by Belome, subjected to Stockholm Syndrome, and brainwashed again because Belome decided to get some fresh air tonight, not to mention the dehumanizing things he said. I'd probably expect the general population to be a little freaked out when they hear about it."

"I... don't know..." Apricot said.

"It'd be for your own good. Surely, all that much trauma can't be good for you."

"Incidentally, do you have a name yet?" Toadsworth asked.

"We named her Apricot," Peach said.

"Apricot... Well, I'll make it official, then. Now, how am I going to tell you two apart?"

"She's perfectly fine with a shorter hairstyle and green dresses. Right?" Mario asked her.

"... Yes," Apricot responded.

"Speak up, my dear lady! No need to be so shy..." Toadsworth said. "Well, Mario, I bid you adieu. And for you two, the guest rooms are currently empty. Take any particular two you like."

* * *

Apricot, now in the bed-wear the castle provided, turned out the light in her guest room and went to bed.

And thus, our story ends. Or does it? Will Mario ever hunt down the amoral four-eyed beast called Belome? Will Apricot stop using ellipses so much? Why am I asking all these questions? Who am I? Who are you? Am I nothing but a bunch of words on a computer screen? Find out (maybe) on the next episode of THE CLONE SAGAAAAAAAA!


End file.
